Tine for fixing a cylindrical carrier bar of a reel and a tine assembly comprising a carrier bar and at least one tine

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a tine for fixing to a cylindrical carrier bar of a reel, in addition to a tine assembly comprising a carrier bar and a tine. The tine ( 8 ) comprises the following: a coil spring section ( 10 ) with at least one convolution wound about a coil spring axis ( 11 ) as far as a screw line; an engagement section ( 14 ), which is immediately adjacent to and leads continuously from the first end ( 12 ) of the convolution of the coil spring section ( 10 ), terminating in a free end ( 15 ); a fixing section ( 16 ), which is immediately adjacent to the second end ( 13 ) of the convolution and whose free end is bent to form an eyelet ( 17 ) with a through opening ( 18 ) that projects towards the first end ( 12 ) of the convolution; and a bearing section ( 19 ) located upstream of the eyelet ( 17 ). The coil spring axis ( 11 ) and the bending axis ( 2 ) are offset in the same direction in relation to the engagement section ( 14 ). According to the invention, the longitudinal axis ( 2 ) constitutes the bending axis and runs parallel to the coil spring axis ( 11 ) and the carrier bar ( 1, 101 ) is located between an exterior peripheral section of the coil spring section ( 10 ) and the fixing section ( 16 ), in such a way that it is partially surrounded by said sections. The tine ( 8 ) is fixed to the cylindrical carrier bar ( 1 ) by means of a fixing screw ( 5 ).

[0001] The invention relates to a tine for the attachment on a cylindrical carrier tube of a reel for mowing devices on harvesting machines made from a basic material which is round and rod-like, and relates to a tine arrangement comprising a cylindrical carrier tube and at least one such tine.

[0002] A reel of a harvesting machine comprises generally several carrier tubes, arranged radially distanced to a central tube and distributed around the circumference and which are supported by corresponding support arms, connected to the central tube. The carrier tubes are rotationally supported on the support arms. Furthermore, the reel is rotationally supported around the axis of the central tube. Depending on the width of a cutting table of a harvesting machine, such a reel is very long and the carrier tubes are correspondingly long. The carrier tubes carry tines, arranged distributedly over the length. For example, 40 and more tines are generally attached on a six meter long carrier tube. In a reel with six carrier tubes, therefore, 240 tines or more are arranged. The tines are generally made from a spring steel wire, i.e. a rod-like material. The spring properties of the tines are realised by a coil spring portion, which is designed such, that the tine can deflect, when obstacles in form of earth bulges or larger stones are present in front of the mowing device. For the attachment of the tines on the carrier tube, different embodiments are known.

[0003] DE 198 584 524 A1 describes an arrangement, in which the carrier tube has one or several longitudinal grooves, in which the tines, respectively, engage with a bent end of the winding. For this, an end of the winding of a coil spring portion is bent such, that a yoke-like portion, engaging over the carrier tube, is produced, which yoke ends exceed the diameter of the carrier tube and form openings, through which a screw is passed transversally to the longitudinal axis of the carrier tube for tightening. Disadvantageous is, that profiled tubes are expensive. The design necessitates tines, made as pairs, which connection portion engages in one of the grooves.

[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,235 describes also a tine arrangement with a double tine having two coil spring portions, wherein a joint attachment in rotational direction around the longitudinal axis of the carrier tube is achieved by a fixing screw, which passes the carrier tube transversally to the extension of the engagement portions of the tines. The disadvantage of this fixing type is, that the fixing eyelet is laterally off-set to the engagement portions by the length of the coil spring portion. The eyelet is not arranged on or near the loading line of the engagement portion. Therefore, a rotational loading is produced. Because of this reason, also in the above described embodiment, the coil spring portion is formed extending around the carrier tube.

[0005] The invention has the object, to propose a tine for the attachment on a cylindrical carrier tube of a reel, as well as a tine arrangement with a carrier tube having at least one tine, wherein the tines in form of individual tines are suitable for an application in connection with cylindrical carrier tubes, in which the attachment in reference to the loading, experiences no displacement around an axis arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the carrier tube and wherein the tines can be easily mounted.

[0006] This object is solved according to the invention by a tine for the attachment on a cylindrical carrier tube of a reel for mowing devices on harvesting machines, made from a basic material, which has a round cross-section and is rod-like, comprising

[0007] a coil spring portion, wound to a coil line with at least one winding around a coil spring axis, and having a first winding end and a second winding end,

[0008] a straight or bent engagement portion, following continuously the first winding end of the coil spring portion and ending in a free end,

[0009] a fixing portion,

[0010] attached continuously to the second winding end,

[0011] which is bent at its free end to an eyelet with a through opening, wherein the eyelet projects in the direction towards the first winding end,

[0012] having an abutment portion, arranged in front of the eyelet and extending on a circular arc, centred on a bending axis arranged parallel to the coil spring axis, and

[0013] having, further, a transition portion, following the abutment portion and ending in the second winding end,

[0014] wherein the coil spring axis and the bending axis are off-set in the same sense from the engagement portion.

[0015] Here, the eyelet is connected to the second winding end such, that an abutment portion, bent corresponding to the outer circumference of the carrier tube, precedes which ends with a transition portion in the second winding end of the coil spring portion.

[0016] The abutment portion abuts the outer circumference of the cylindrical carrier tube closely. By means of the orientation of the eyelet, an arrangement for the screw is achieved, which, in the resting position of the tine, extends nearly parallel to the transition portion or the abutment portion, respectively, so that when loading the tine at the engagement portion, the screw is not anymore substantially subjected to tensioning, but to shearing. This has the advantage that also no negative loadings act onto the tube, as at pure tensioning loading a stronger clamping would have to be provided, which produces the danger of reducing the tube in cross-section.

[0017] The carrier tube is anyway not contracted by the loading and the screw provided for the attachment cannot be loosened anymore. The tightening torque for the fixing screw can, in this case, be selected smaller. A further advantage is, that, because of the reason, that the eyelet is arranged nearly in one plane with the engagement portion, no leverage effect, which wants to rotate the tine, is produced. As the eyelet projects in the direction towards the first winding end, it is arranged in the length portion of the coil spring portion, so that the total width of the tine is small and the pitch of the fixing bores on the carrier tube is easier to determine.

[0018] Preferably, the engagement portion has, starting from the first winding end a first portion, which is arranged in one plane with the transition portion of the fixing portion. The transition portion and the engagement portion project in opposite directions from the coil spring portion. Preferably the eyelet is arranged perpendicular to a plane, formed by the circular arc-like abutment portion.

[0019] The object is further solved by a tine arrangement for a reel for mowing devices on harvesting machines, comprising

[0020] a cylindrical carrier tube,

[0021] having a longitudinal axis and extending transversally thereto, a through bore,

[0022] a fixing screw,

[0023] having a screw head and a nut, and

[0024] at least one tine, comprising

[0025] a coil spring portion, wound to a coil line with at least one winding around a coil spring axis, and having a first winding end and a second winding end,

[0026] a straight or bent engagement portion, following continuously the first winding end of the coil spring portion and ending in a free end,

[0027] a fixing portion,

[0028] attached continuously to the second winding end,

[0029] which is bent at its free end to an eyelet with a through opening, wherein the eyelet projects in the direction towards the first winding end,

[0030] having an abutment portion, arranged in front of the eyelet and extending on a circular arc, centred on a bending axis arranged parallel to the coil spring axis, and

[0031] having, further, a transition portion, following the abutment portion and ending in the second winding end,

[0032] wherein the coil spring axis and the bending axis are off-set in the same sense from the engagement portion,

[0033] wherein the longitudinal axis represents the bending axis and extends parallel to the coil spring axis and wherein the carrier tube is arranged between an outer circumferential portion of the coil spring portion and the fixing portion, so that it is partially enclosed by these.

[0034] This arrangement also achieves the advantages, which result directly from the design of the tine. Especially, the possibility for an advantageous arrangement of the screws is achieved. Furthermore, the arrangement, in which the carrier tube is enclosed between the abutment portion and the coil spring portion, achieves an advantageous assembling. Advantageous is further, that the coil spring portion is directly supported on the screw head or the nut, so that no direct contact for the support of the forces, loading the engagement portion, is produced on the carrier tube, which would lead to wear. The components belonging to the fixing screw, like the screw head and the nut, are manufactured from a more wear-resistant material than, for example, the carrier tube.

[0035] In the drawing, an embodiment of the tines according to the invention is shown. Further, two different embodiments for the attachment of the tines are visible.

[0036] It shows

[0037]FIG. 1a side view of the tine according to the invention in an arrangement to the carrier tube, shown in sectional view, and to a mowing finger,

[0038]FIG. 2 a front view onto the tine, wherein, however, the mowing finger is not shown, with a first embodiment of a fixing screw,

[0039]FIG. 3 a representation, corresponding to FIG. 1, however, with a different fixing screw for the retainment of the tine on the carrier tube,

[0040]FIG. 4 a front view onto the tine arrangement of FIG. 3, and

[0041]FIG. 5 a representation in reference to the mounting of a tine in connection with a fixing screw of an embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0042] Firstly, the embodiment of the tine of FIGS. 1 and 2 is described.

[0043] From FIG. 1 the carrier tube 1 is visible, which is formed cylindrically and has a longitudinal axis 2. On the bore axis 3, a through bore 4 extends transversally to the longitudinal axis 2 through the carrier tube 1. This serves for passing through a fixing screw 5, having a screw head 6 and a nut 7. The fixing screw 5 serves for the attachment of the tine 8, which transports the stem good, cut by the mowing sickle, movable in the area of the mowing finger 9, away from the area of the mowing finger 9, for what the carrier tube 1, attached to a reel star element, can be rotated around an axis off-set to the longitudinal axis 2 in rotational direction F. In this case, the carrier tube 1 itself can additionally be rotated around the longitudinal axis 2. The tine 8 comprises a coil spring portion 10, in which the rod-like material, from which the tine 8 is manufactured, is coil spring-like wound around the coil spring axis 11 with at least one, preferably, however, several windings. The coil spring portion 10 has a first winding end 12 and distanced thereto, a second winding end 13. These project in opposite directions therefrom. To the first winding end 12, an engagement portion 14 is continuously attached, which in the shown embodiment has two portions, namely, a first portion 21, extending nearly tangential, and a second portion 22, extending in a bent manner thereto. The engagement portion 14 ends in the free end 15. The second winding end 13 is continuously followed by the fixing portion 16, which comprises a transition portion 20, arranged substantially in one plane with the first portion 21 of the engagement portion 14. This is followed by an abutment portion 19, which encloses a circular arc of nearly 90° and which path is adapted to the outer face of the cylindrical carrier tube 1. In FIG. 1 the bending radius R is shown, referring to the neutral zone of the abutment portion 19 and which centre is arranged on the longitudinal axis 2 of the carrier tube 1. To the fixing portion 16 belongs, also, the fixing eyelet 17, which follows the abutment portion 19 extending in a circular arc, and is bent thereto such, that it projects in the direction towards the first winding end 12. The through opening 18 of the eyelet 17 for the fixing screw 5 is also arranged in an area between the first winding end 12 and the second winding end 13. Therefore, a short structural arrangement in the direction of the longitudinal axis 2 can be achieved. Furthermore, the structure can be selected such, that an as short as possible axial distance in the direction of the longitudinal axis 2 between the engagement portion 14 and the bore axis 3 and therefore, the axis, defining the through opening 18, is achieved, to prevent during a loading of the engagement portion 14 a displacement of the tine 8. It is visible, that the fixing portion 16 is off-set in relation to the transition portion 20 and to the first portion 21 of the engagement portion 14 in the same sense as to the coils spring portion 10. This means, that the coil spring axis 11 and the bending axis 2 for the abutment portion 19 are off-set in the same sense to these and receive the carrier tube 1 between them. During loading of the engagement portion 14, in this arrangement the fixing screw 3 is mainly subjected to shearing. Further, it is visible, that the fixing screw 3 is a screw with a flat screw head 6. The nut 7 is formed as a collar nut and is inserted from the coil spring portion-facing side of the through bore 4 into the carrier tube 1. The coil spring portion 10 is supported with a portion of its outer circumference on the nut 7. In this case, the nut 7 can be provided with a torsional retainment. The fixing screw 3 has a screw head 6 in form of a flat head, having a hexagon socket.

[0044] In the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4 a tine 8 is used, which corresponds completely to the tine described in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2. A difference is only given by the design of the fixing screw 105 in relation to the fixing screw 5. In FIG. 3 the loading direction X for the engagement portion is shown in addition. The fixing screw 105 differs in reference to the arrangement of the fixing screw in the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 such, that the screw head 106 is arranged in the area of the coil spring portion of the tine 8. The nut 107 is correspondingly screwed onto the thread of the fixing screw 104 in the area of the eyelet.

[0045]FIG. 5 shows the assembly in reference to an embodiment, which is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. It is visible, that the fixing screw 105 is already pushed into the through bore of the carrier tube 101. The tine 8 is pushed in an inclined position, as shown in FIG. 5, with the through opening 18 of the eyelet onto the threaded portion of the fixing screw 105, provided with a thread and exiting radially the carrier tube 101. Then, it is acted upon the tine 8 in the direction of the arrow X for achieving an anti-clockwise torque, so that this can be pivoted in and the coil spring portion 10 comes into abutment to the screw head 106 and is supported thereon. Because of this, the fixing screw 5 is also initially retained in its position, and the nut 107 can be screwed on.

[0046] Reference Numerals List

[0047]1, 101 carrier tube

[0048]2 longitudinal axis

[0049]3 bore axis

[0050]4, 104 through bore

[0051]5, 105 fixing screw

[0052]6, 106 screw head

[0053]7, 107 nut

[0054]8 tine

[0055]9 mowing finger

[0056]10 coil spring portion

[0057]11 coil spring axis

[0058]12 first winding end

[0059]13 second winding end

[0060]14 engagement portion

[0061]15 free end

[0062]16 fixing portion

[0063]17 eyelet

[0064]18 through opening

[0065]19 abutment portion

[0066]20 transition portion

[0067]21 first portion

[0068]22 second portion

[0069] F rotational direction

[0070] R bending radius

[0071] X direction of the arrow 

1. Tine (8) for the attachment on a cylindrical carrier tube (1, 101) of a reel for mowing devices on harvesting machines, made from a basic material, which has a round cross-section and is rod-like, comprising a coil spring portion (10), wound to a coil line with at least one winding around a coil spring axis (11), and having a first winding end (12) and a second winding end (13), a straight or bent engagement portion (14), following continuously the first winding end (12) of the coil spring portion (10) and ending in a free end (15), a fixing portion (16), attached continuously to the second winding end (13), which is bent at its free end to an eyelet (17) with a through opening (18), wherein the eyelet (17) projects in the direction towards the first winding end (12), having an abutment portion (19), arranged in front of the eyelet (17) and extending on a circular arc (R), centred on a bending axis (2) arranged parallel to the coil spring axis (11), and having, further, a transition portion (20), following the abutment portion (19) and ending in the second winding end (13), wherein the coil spring axis (11) and the bending axis (2) are off-set in the same sense from the engagement portion (14).
 2. Tine according to claim 1, characterised in that the engagement portion (14) has, starting from the first winding end (12), a first portion (21) arranged in one plane with the transition portion (20) of the fixing portion (16).
 3. Tine according to claim 2, characterised in that the transition portion (20) and the engagement portion (14) extend in opposite directions from the coil spring portion (10).
 4. Tine according to claim 1, characterised in that the eyelet (17) extends perpendicular to a plane formed by the circular arc-like abutment portion (16).
 5. Tine arrangement for a reel for mowing devices on harvesting machines, comprising a cylindrical carrier tube (1), having a longitudinal axis (2) and extending transversally thereto, a through bore (4), a fixing screw (5, 105), having a screw head (6, 106) and a nut (7, 0.107), and at least one tine (8), comprising a coil spring portion (10), wound to a coil line with at least one winding around a coil spring axis (11), and having a first winding end (12) and a second winding end (13), a straight or bent engagement portion (14), following continuously the first winding end (12) of the coil spring portion (10) and ending in a free end (15), a fixing portion (16), attached continuously to the second winding end (13), which is bent at its free end to an eyelet (17) with a through opening (18), wherein the eyelet (17) projects in the direction towards the first winding end (12), having an abutment portion (19), arranged in front of the eyelet (17) and extending on a circular arc (R), centred on a bending axis (2) arranged parallel to the coil spring axis (11), and having, further, a transition portion (20), following the abutment portion (19) and ending in the second winding end (13), wherein the coil spring axis (11) and the bending axis (2) are offset in the same sense from the engagement portion (14), wherein the longitudinal axis (2) represents the bending axis and extends parallel to the coil spring axis (11) and wherein the carrier tube (1, 101) is arranged between an outer circumferential portion of the coil spring portion (10) and the fixing portion (16), so that it is partially enclosed by these.
 6. Tine arrangement according to claim 5, characterised in that the coil spring portion (10) is supported on the screw head (6) or on the nut (107) of the fixing screw (5, 105). 